Long Beach: Saturday GT practice report

Pilgrim Still Tops in Long Beach SPEED GT Practice
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 19, 2008) -- Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton,
Fla., improved on his Friday practice time to lead Saturday's second
round of practice for Sunday's SCCA Pro Racing Long Beach...

Pilgrim Still Tops in Long Beach SPEED GT Practice

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 19, 2008) -- Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton,
Fla., improved on his Friday practice time to lead Saturday's second
round of practice for Sunday's SCCA Pro Racing Long Beach SPEED GT
Presented by Applied Computer Solutions race. Local ace Mike Davis, of
Huntington Beach, Calif., was second on the combined practice results,
followed by last year's race winner Eric Curran, of East Hampton, Mass.

After topping Friday evening's practice session, Pilgrim improved his
time to a 1:26.150 (82.238 mph) in this morning's 30-minute session,
which ran free of yellow flags. While Pilgrim was happy to lead both
practice sessions in his No. 8 Remington Shaving Cadillac CTS-V, he felt
the team had some work to do to ensure a successful qualifying effort at
the 1.968-mile temporary street course.

"The car felt a little bit better [than yesterday]," Pilgrim said. "It
had the same traits, the same oversteer exit, but I think everybody has
that to a degree. I'm surprised nobody's going any quicker.

"We're struggling though. I was behind a couple of the quicker guys
and I was faster, but I couldn't get by them. I've got nothing on the
straightaways, so I can't even get in a position to draft up behind
them.

"Qualifying is really important here, because the cars are so closely
matched, speed wise, that you just can't pass anybody. They either have
to make a mistake or let you by. That's how it is on a street course.
You can't force it or you'll end up in the wall."

Driving the No. 11 ACS/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra, Mike Davis
put a smile on the faces of the hometown crowd by posting the second
fastest time in practice, a 1:26.321 (82.075 mph).

Defending Long Beach race winner Eric Curran slotted his No. 30 Whelen
Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette into the third spot on the time sheets,
stopping the clocks with a 1:26.394 (82.005 mph).

Qualifying for the Long Beach SPEED GT Presented by Applied Computer
Solutions will take place tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. (PDT). The race will
launch for a standing start at 4 p.m. (PDT), following the Champ Car
race. It will air Wednesday, April 30, at noon (EDT), 9 a.m. (PDT) on
SPEED.